After more than two decades at The Scandinavian Golf Club, Course Manager Russell Anderson knows exactly what is needed from the team and their equipment to maintain renowned high standards across two 18-hole courses.
High on his machinery ‘must-haves’ are reliability and consistency which, when the time came for the highly-ranked Danish club to replace its existing mower fleet, prompted the purchase of four LM551B fairway mowers from Baroness.
As the only golf destination in continental Europe with both courses ranked among the top 50, expectations at the venue are great and the presentation and playability achieved by Russell and his team of 18 is nothing short of world-class. After years of purchasing equipment in package deals, the club decided it was time to change tact and open the door to all manufacturers – what followed was extensive research and testing for new fairway mowers.
“We invited all major brands to come in and demonstrate some options and we looked at various aspects including cut performance, build quality, operator comfort, maintenance demands and the dealer support,” explains Russell. “The liking for the LM551B’s from Baroness was universal, including a big thumbs up from my mechanic which was a big factor in us making our decision to purchase four mowers which were delivered in early April.”
He continues, “Both the build quality and cut quality is superb. We knew this is what Baroness was renowned for, but still, it has been impressive to see this first hand. The LM551B’s cut all the fairways on one course each day and leave an immaculately clean finish after every pass to the admiration of the operators and players alike.”
Ticking the box for cut quality, the investment has also addressed previous issues with downtime and costly repairs. “The simplicity and robustness of the Baroness mowers really stood out, there’s just less to go wrong which means more time in the field and less time costing us money in the workshop.”
“We must also praise the patience and support from Lasse Lindholm at dealers Lindholm Maskiner. The decision took quite a number of months and Lasse never put pressure on us and always took the time to answer any extra questions we had” Russell adds.
In addition to the four mowers, the club also took delivery of a Baroness FS900 sweeper for post-renovation clean-up, which has also quickly left a lasting impression. “This is another fantastic, productive piece of equipment, we’ve been extremely happy with it,” says Russell.
For Russell, the move to Baroness has delivered exactly what The Scandinavian Golf Club was searching for: premium cut quality, dependable performance, happier mechanics and lower long-term maintenance concerns.
“Changing brands always comes with an element of trepidation but opting for the Baroness machines has been a very positive experience for us all round,” he concludes.